Piccolo

Potato

Variety Description

Varieties used for comparison: 'Yukon Gold' and 'Bintje'

Summary: 'Piccolo' has a shorter plant height than 'Yukon Gold' and 'Bintje'. The leaves of 'Piccolo' are longer than those of 'Bintje' and narrower than those of 'Yukon Gold'. 'Piccolo' has a lower flowering profusion than the reference varieties. The inner surface of the corolla of 'Piccolo' is white, whereas it is red-violet for 'Yukon Gold'. The corolla of 'Piccolo' is larger than that of 'Bintje'. The base of the light sprout of 'Piccolo' has less anthocyanin than 'Bintje' and less pubescence than 'Yukon Gold'. The light sprout tip of 'Piccolo' has more anthocyanin and pubescence than 'Yukon Gold' and less than 'Bintje'.

Description:

PLANT: semi-upright growth habit, intermediate type foliage structure

STEM: absent or very weak anthocyanin, main stem medium in thickness, swelling of nodes absent or very low

LEAF: medium green, closed to intermediate silhouette, anthocyanin in rachis and petioles absent to very weak
TERMINAL LEAFLET: narrowly ovate, acute tip, obtuse to cordate base, absent or very low frequency of coalescence of terminal and lateral leaflets
LATERAL LEAFLETS: medium to large, narrowly ovate, acute tip, cordate base, moderately deep veins, moderate waviness of margins, medium glossiness, no pubescence on blade (at apical rosette), moderate to strong presence of secondary leaflets

INFLORESCENCE: absent to very low flowering profusion, buds not persistent, strong anthocyanin in buds
COROLLA: medium size, white, prominent star
PEDUNCLE: anthocyanin absent to very weak

TUBER: round to oval, shallow eyes predominantly apical, eyebrows slightly prominent, medium to dark yellow flesh with no secondary colour
SKIN: yellow, yellow at base of eye, medium to strong anthocyanin when exposed to light, smooth texture

LIGHT SPROUT: small to medium size, spherical, few root tips, short to medium lateral roots
BASE: medium anthocyanin, absent or low proportion of blue, moderate pubescence
TIP: equal to base, closed habit, moderate anthocyanin, moderate pubescence.

Origin & Breeding History: 'Piccolo' results from a cross between 'Ausonia' and 'VE 74-120', made in 1991 in Emmeloord, The Netherlands. 'Ausonia' derives from the crossing of 'Wilja' and Konst 63 665. The variety was selected by recurrent phenotypic selection and has been clonally propagated since the first year of selection.

Tests & Trials: Trials for 'Piccolo' were conducted in Drummond, New Brunswick in 2005. A block design was used with four replicates per variety. All entries were planted in single-row plots and each entry had one replicate per block. Plots consisted of rows 5.5 metres long and between row spacing of 91 cm. Measured characteristics were based on 10 measurements. Colour determinations were made using the 1986 RHS colour chart.

Comparison tables for 'Piccolo' with reference varieties 'Yukon Gold' and 'Bintje'

Plant height (cm)

Leaf length (cm)

Leaf width (cm)

Colour of corolla (RHS)

Click on image for larger view

Potato: 'Piccolo' (center) with reference varieties 'Bintje' (left) and 'Yukon Gold' (right)